As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is an information handling system (IHS). An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for such systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Many information handling systems (IHSs), including portable IHSs for example, may operate with a rechargeable battery as their power source. Commonly used rechargeable batteries may include lead and/or sulfuric acid, nickel cadmium (NiCd), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium ion (Li-ion), or lithium ion polymer (Li-ion polymer) batteries. Such batteries may be recharged for repeated use with portable IHSs.
A portable IHS may be provided to retail locations, or directly to customers, with a battery coupled to the portable IHS so that customers may immediately operate the IHS after purchase. In some instances, the portable IHS may remain at the retail location for an extended period of time without being purchased. Unfortunately, during this time, without actively being charged, the battery may experience current leakage, for example, approximately in the range of 2-5 milliamps (mA), while coupled to the portable IHS. Such leakage may be so small as to avoid detection by a battery management unit (BMU) in the battery but large enough to eventually exhaust all battery power. As a result, the battery may “die” by the time the portable IHS is purchased and/or used and may be unable to be recharged. Such occurrences may cause considerable frustration to the consumer as well as increased costs associated with honoring warranties on the portable IHS and/or battery.
Additionally, a battery may also be prone to leakage in other instances. For example, if a consumer were to leave the battery coupled to the portable IHS without an external power supply coupled to the IHS for an extended period, the battery may suffer from similar leakage previously described.
Previous attempts to prevent such battery leakage have proven inadequate in a number of ways. For example, one solution may be to separate the portable IHS from the battery in different packages before delivery. Thus, the battery may not be coupled to the portable IHS until a user desires to use the portable IHS for the first time. However, for companies and/or manufacturers not already implementing such a procedure, this solution may require redesigning the packing process, thereby undesirably impacting the manufacturing process of portable IHSs.
Another alternative may be to execute a utility to force the BMU into a standby mode before delivery. While the BMU is in standby mode, the battery may be disabled from providing power. Once an external power supply is coupled to the IHS, the BMU may exit the standby mode. This solution, however, may suffer from the fact that the utility may be necessary to place the BMU in the standby mode. Practically, once the BMU exits standby mode, it may never be able to enter standby mode again. Thus, users who leave a battery coupled to the IHS without an external power supply for an extended period of time may still experience a failed battery. Furthermore, this solution may still impact the manufacturing process by having to execute the utility in the first place.
Thus, a need exists for systems and methods for reducing battery leakage in an IHS while the battery is coupled to the IHS without an external power supply.